Luck and the fourth-ranked Cardinal put the nation's longest
winning streak on the line Saturday when they visit lowly Oregon
State.

The Heisman Trophy runner-up a year ago, Luck bolstered his
credentials to win the award last Saturday with a memorable
performance in a 56-48 triple-overtime win at then-No. 20 USC. He
completed 29 of 40 passes for 330 yards and three scores.

More notably, Luck led the Cardinal down the field for the tying
touchdown with 38 seconds left in regulation one drive after his
lone interception was returned 33 yards for the Trojans' go-ahead
score.

"There were a couple of seconds there where I wanted to dig a
hole and bury myself," Luck said. "But the guys believed in
me."

Stanford (8-0, 6-0 Pac-12) extended the nation's longest winning
streak to 16 games, and stayed on track for a Nov. 12 home showdown
with No. 6 Oregon, which will likely determine the North Division
champion. The Cardinal and Ducks are the only remaining unbeaten
teams in Pac-12 play.

Before that matchup, Luck will return to the field where he
posted his worst-ever completion percentage as a visitor. He was 12
of 30 for 226 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-28 loss at Oregon
State (2-6, 2-3) on Oct. 10, 2009.

The superstar quarterback threw for 341 yards with two TDs and
two interceptions at Oregon on Oct. 2, 2010, as Stanford lost
52-31. Saturday's contest will be his last in the state if he
decides to enter the NFL draft after this season.

Oregon State coach Mike Riley is under no illusions when it
comes to what it will take to upset Stanford in 2011. Luck was 21
of 30 for 305 yards and four touchdowns in last year's 38-0 home
rout of the Beavers.

"It's pretty easy to look at his gifts," said Riley about Luck.
"He's not only a great passer, an accurate passer with a good arm,
he's a very gifted athlete. He can run with the best of them. He
can run any style of offense - if you wanted to run the spread with
him, he'd probably be really good at it."

Luck is tied for fifth among FBS quarterbacks with 23 touchdown
passes, also matching Washington's Keith Price for the conference
lead.

First-year Stanford coach David Shaw has made it clear his team
must move on after the thrilling win over the Trojans if it hopes
to preserve the possibility of reaching the BCS title game.

"It was a big game, it was an exciting game, it was one of the
best games a lot of people have said they have seen in a while, but
then the season is not over," Shaw said. "We've talked all year
about building. You're in a big game, you win a big game, it gets
even bigger. So you can't win a big game and stop playing."

The Cardinal are hoping for a better effort from a defense that
leads the Pac-12 in rushing defense (84.6 yards per game), scoring
defense (17.0 points per game) and sacks (25).

The unit should fare better against Oregon State, which has
scored the fewest offensive touchdowns in the conference with 18.
The Beavers own the Pac-12's fourth-worst offense (391.3 yards per
game), and freshman Sean Mannion's 13 interceptions are the most in
the FBS.

Mannion was picked off three times in last Saturday's 27-8 loss
at Utah.

The Beavers would be guaranteed a losing season with a defeat
Saturday. It would mark the earliest point in their schedule that
has happened since 1997, when they finished 3-8.

"We have to keep a good attitude," Riley said. "We have to keep
growing, and we have to keep opportunity always at the foremost of
everything we're doing right now."

The Cardinal are looking to overcome injuries on both sides of
the ball.

Safety Delano Howell is expected to miss his third straight game
with a hand injury while tight end Zach Ertz will likely be out at
least two weeks with a lower right leg injury.

Ertz had a touchdown reception in each of the first three games,
but has been kept out of the end zone since.

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